Living in Dryden

Village of Dryden to continue clearing sidewalks

In a decision that will doubtless make at least one recent commenter sad, but makes me very happy, the Village of Dryden will continue to clear snow from sidewalks. So says the January 21 Dryden Courier, which just arrived today.

Mayor Taylor found that a 1994 policy, the village's comprehensive plan, and advice from the state Department of Transportation all pointed toward continuing to clear the sidewalks. She doesn't sound delighted about it - as she put it in the article, "the roads are going to remain our top priority, though."

In other news, the Town of Dryden's Adult Softball and the Intergenerational Band and Chorus are stuck without a home because of construction over the summer at the Dryden High School/Middle School. (I was actually hoping to join the band now that I've taken up trumpet again. Argh.)

Nancy Hart explains the mysteries of raspberry bars, and there's a notice of winter camp registration for Primitive Pursuits inside the cover. The Fresh Air Fund is also looking for families willing to host New York City children for two weeks in the summer.

The editorial thanks the state for keeping open the Reynolds Game Farm, and questions a proposal (from Dryden legislator Mike Hattery, I believe) to spend hotel room tax funds on other things than tourism. As they put it, "there seems to be an inclination on the part of some legislators to regard what was originally introduced as a fun for promoting tourism as some sort of slush fund for other projects."

In letters, Charlie Hart thanks the Dryden community for their support of the 2008 Salvation Army Kettle Drive, and Jody Earle writes about the need for space for the Intergenerational Band and Chorus.

In Anecdotes & Brevities, Harry Weldon writes about Bethel Grove, its history, and recent efforts to get a historical marker to commemorate that history.

In sports, Zach Wixom is an Athlete of the Week for his swimming prowess, and there's mention of Dryden basketball victories, a win and a loss in wrestling, and some fine performances in track and field in Sports Around the Lake.

The Dryden Police Report seems to be purely traffic stops.

In Dryden Blessings, Kimberly Gazzo celebrates winter, quilting, Rotary's upcoming Valentine's Day Mystery Dinner Theater, Dairy Day planning, a guitar "house concert", and a Celtic mustic concert by Polarus at the Dryden Community Center Cafe. She closes with a reminder that it's always election season in Dryden. Village elections are in March, with the Republican caucus choosing candidates at the Village Hall on January 27th at 7:30pm, and the Democratic caucus choosing candidates at the Town Hall at 8:00pm the same night. (The mayor and two trustees, all Republicans, are up for re-election.)

The Courier also has a month-by-month "Year in Dryden" feature that's well-worth a visit.

Once again, I'm amazed by how much I can learn from the Courier that simply isn't in the Journal at all, even though I think the Journal's Dryden reporting has picked up a bit lately. Heck, I'm still scratching my head about why the Journal ran a letter about parking regulations in Corning this morning. I wonder if we're about to cross over from a world where the daily local franchise of a national organization (the Journal, part of Gannett) fades out and something more local, and weekly, becomes a lot more prominent. I'll also be curious to see if the Cortland Standard can do anything to take advantage of the Journal's weakness.

Now if only the Courier had a website!